The Bumblebee bat also known as Kitti's Hog Nosed Bats is the world's smallest bat, as a matter of fact they are the world's smallest mammal. The bats are about the size of a bumblebee and weigh as much as a dime. The Bumblebee bat is one of the top 12 most endangered species on the planet. They have reddish/brown or grey upper parts with their underside being pale in color. They have dark colored relatively wide wings with long tips that enables them to hover. Their nose is pig-like, they have small eyes and relatively large ears. They have a large web of skin between their hind legs, known as the uropatagium (gives them assistance when in flight). They are most active at dusk when they fly around trees and bamboo capturing insects.
Bumblebee Bats are found in areas in Sai Yok National Park in the Kanchanaburi Province of western Thailand. They have also been recently discovered in Myanmar. Small colonies consisting of 10-100 individual bats roost up high in limestone caves. They also spread out so that they are not touching each other. The caves are often found in forested areas near rivers.
Bumbleebee Bats feed on insects. Very little in known about reproduction in these types of bats, but it is thought that they give birth to a single young in late April each year.
I have never heard of a Bumblebee bat but it is really cute and I hope they come up with a plan to get them off the endangered species list.
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